Pray for two Colorado ministries…

Tragic news out of Colorado 70 miles apart.

[Yahoo News]

A gunman opened fire in a training center dormitory for young Christian missionaries early Sunday after being told he couldn’t spend the night, killing two of the center’s staff members and wounding two others. No arrests had been made by afternoon.

Read about it here.

[KDRO]

There are reports of possibly two gunmen at New Life Church in northern Colorado Springs. According to police scanner traffic, police are at New Life Church in search of possibly two suspects, one who may have fired a gun. Police scanner traffic indicates multiple victims and that many people are hiding throughout the building. At least 1 victim transported himself to Penrose Main Hospital in Central Colorado Springs.

Read about it here.

[From me]

Prayers are needed for those affected and the gunmen.

Do you know where Jesus was born?

[Daily Mail]

The Christmas carollers may have already been heard singing O Little Town of Bethlehem the length and breadth of the country. But it appears a huge chunk of their audience may have no idea why the town should be worthy of such reverence.

In an alarming survey published today into knowledge of the Christmas story, it appears that one in four adults do not know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Among younger Britons – between 18 and 24 – the total for those who could not give the correct location rose to 36 per cent.

[From me]

This isn’t surprising.  I was sharing with a young boy a few years ago and I asked him what he knew about Jesus and he said he didn’t know anything about him–O, except what he had seen at Blockbuster.

What do you think?

you thought protestant business meetings were tough…

[Sun Herald]

Biloxi police were needed on two separate occasions Thursday to break up altercations at the normally quiet Buddhist temple on Oak Street.A political power struggle between the head monk and the former board of directors seems to have reached a boiling point.

“Several of the temple members are wanting the head monk to step down, but for what reason, we don’t know,” said police Sgt. Jackie Rhodes. “Basically, we just told them to go through their board of directors and that this was not the place to handle it.”

Read about it here.

[From me]

I’ve seen some spirited debates in business meeting but never a fight. Have you ever seen something like this happen? Did the police come?

What do you think?

Jesus in X-ray?

[WESH]

A man who recently had a chest X-ray done swore he could clearly see the image of Jesus on the photograph. The patient recently went to a hospital in Homestead and complained of chest pains.T he doctor ordered an X-ray, and when technicians put the film up to the light, the silhouette of what some said resembled Jesus Christ appeared.

Read about it here.

[From me]

How do they know what Jesus looked like?

Phony priest runs up supermarket tab

[Yahoo News]

When a man dressed in black and wearing crosses said to charge his groceries to St. Rocco’s Roman Catholic Church, clerks at a West Pittston store obliged.  St. Rocco’s has a tab at the Gerritys Supermarket. And Officer Joe Campbell says the man “played the part,” with his black clothing and a white strip of cardboard around his neck.

But his grocery orders began to stray from the necessities. Energy drinks and cigarettes crept in, and store officials became suspicious.

Read about it here.

[From me]

Sounds like a SNL skit.

Who would you allow in your church directory?

[Christian Post]

Homosexuals have been part of a Baptist church in Texas for decades but a new pictorial directory of membership has divided the church over whether homosexual couples should be pictured together.

Members of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth postponed a vote originally scheduled for this past Sunday that would have determined the layout of the directory – with options including photos of gay couples, photos of gay people individually but not as couples, or photos omitting all individual and family photos, according to The Dallas Morning News.

“We will continue to discuss this issue together as a church family,” Kathy Madeja, chair of the deacons, said in a statement. “We do not want to rush to make a decision, but rather to continue to listen to each other and for God’s leading for our church.”

A decision is expected after deacons make a recommendation on Feb. 24.

Read about it here.

[From me]

Wow, this one is sticky. How many adulterers, overweight people, gossipers, liars, cheaters, pornography readers/watchers, etc… are in church directories? The only directory I worry about being in is Jesus’ directory.

What do you think?

Book Review-Going All the Way

Craig Groeschel is the founding pastor of LifeChurch.tv in Edmond, OK. Under his leadership, LifeChurch.tv has become one of the country’s first multi-campus churches, with over fifty weekend worship experiences currently at eleven different locations throughout the United States.

Craig is one of the few mega-church pastors that actually responds to his blog. When you read his blog, he actually reads it and even comments back. What a concept! He also takes certain weekends where he prays for those who read. I had the privilege of meeting him for a few moments at Catalyst back in October. Craig is real and it comes through in his blog, his Biblically inspired messages and his books. I read Chazown last year and it really inspired me to find out who Craig was. I began listening to his messages and reading and participating in his blog. Craig is one of the most passionate and dynamic speakers I have ever heard. I’ve always been a huge fan of Andy Stanley but Craig is now up there with him in my book. Craig’s message on Practical Atheism was one of the most powerful messages I’ve ever heard.

Now to the book Going All the Way. This is a great book about preparing for a marriage that goes all the way–in other words a marriage that lasts! This book had me literally laughing out loud as I read it. He gets you laughing and then sticks you with an important point. Then he gets you laughing again. But through it all I was challenged Biblically to have a marriage that goes all the way.

Craig is open about his life before Christ and how it was filled with promiscuity. Then God rocked his frat world when he was forced to lead a Bible Study because they were on probation. Even though he was not a believer, God used His word to penetrate Craig’s heart and Craig accepted Christ. Then Craig decided because of his past he would “date” Jesus for a year. When it was finally time to start dating in a Biblical way many girls thought he was too out there. One young lady told Craig he needed to date a girl named Amy Fox. He said “fox” was a sign from God. Anyway after a few months Craig finally called Amy and left a message on her machine that was actually played at their wedding.

” Hey you Christian Babe, take me to church or lose me forever!”

Yes it is that kind of book. Craig deals with preparing for marriage, engagement and what to do after you get married. By the way he and Amy have 6 children because Craig says his wife can’t keep her hands off him! He talks about remaining pure before marriage or if you were like him and messed up that God can begin again today. This will be a book I will use for pre-marital counseling in the future. It was a great read and I highly recommend it to those who are single and feel you will get married someday, those who are married and want a better marriage, those who need improvement in your marriage and pastors to use in counseling.

Going All the Way receives 4.71246 hockey sticks out of 5. (That’s for Phil Hoover)

BTW: I’ve had a little extra time to read this week.